Dan Smith wins €50k High-Roller at EPT Barcelona

With 64 total entries the prize-pool for the inaugural €50k High-Roller tournament on Season 9 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) reached over €3 million, guaranteeing the winner of the event one of the biggest 1st place prizes of the year, €1,075,500.

Heading nito the final day of the three-day tournament there were three clear front-runners, as Dan Smith was the overall chip-leader with 5.1 million chips, Mike McDonald was in second place with 4.6 million chips, and JC Alvarado entered the eight man final table with just over 3.1 million chips. The remaining five players, Erik Seidel, Ilari Sahamies, Talal Shakrechi, Mike Watson, and Jim McCrink all had less than 700,000 chips and collectively had roughly the same amount as Alvarado!

Despite their chip advantage, the leaders knew it would be a tough road considering the Murderer’s Row lineup they faced.

Here is a look at the chip counts entering the final table on Sunday:

1. Dan Smith — 5,108,000

2. Mike McDonald — 4,650,000

3. JC Alvarado — 3,116,000

4. Erik Seidel — 698,000

5. Ilari Sahamies — 685,000

6. Talal Shakerchi — 670,000

7. Mike Watson — 604,000

8. Jim McCrink — 500,000

In the end it would be two of the top three chip-stacks battling for the title, as Dan Smith and JC Alvarado were the final two players remaining, and after the duo struck a deal it was Smith who would go on to win the tournament, pocketing just over €960k for the win, while Alvarado was rewarded with a €788k payday.

Here is a look at the final table payouts from the EPT Barcelona €50k High-Roller tournament:

1. Dan Smith — €962,925

2. JC Alvarado — €788,674

3. Mike Watson — €399,500

4. Ilari Sahamies — €291,900

5. Mike McDonald — €215,100

6. Erik Seidel — €153,600

7. Talal Shakerchi — €138,300

8. Jim McCrink — €122,960

The win was Smith’s second million-dollar score of 2012, having won the $100k Super-High-Roller event at the Aussie Millions, and has him poised for Player of the Year honors if he continues to dominate for the remainder of the year. In addition to his High-Roller success, Smith won a remarkable THREE $5k NLHE events at the EPT Monte Carlo in April, as well as booking five WSOP cashes including a 3rd place finish in the $5k NLHE event at this summer’s series. Smith has now surpassed the $3 million mark for 2012 earnings and is one of the hottest players in poker at the moment.

The EPT Barcelona Main Event also got underway on Sunday, with over 400 players registering for Day 1a of the tournament.